Colleges: Lancers’ diamond is out of the rough

Worcester State senior Nick Bonofiglio had just entered his apartment off June Street last Monday afternoon when he got a call from baseball coach Dirk Baker telling him to get down to the Kevin D. Lyons Diamond at Rockwood Park, the Lancers’ new home field.

Kind of a strange request for the middle of November, but Bonofiglio and a bunch of his teammates — including Joe Carlier, Joe Perlak, Nick Gikas and Dan Ubele — headed over to the field and when they got there, they quickly understood Baker’s urgency.

Water was gushing onto campus, and toward the field, after a major water main break near Chandler and May streets.

“It looked like Niagara Falls,” Bonofiglio said.

Baker, WSU’s 19th-year coach, was giving a tour to recruits when he learned of the break and soon after saw water flowing into the university’s north parking lot and onto the softball field, which is in front of the baseball field. Water was close to knee deep on the walkway behind the softball field’s first-base side bleachers, Baker said.

“I called the kids and said, ‘We’re in danger of having our field wash away in front of our eyes,’ ” Baker said.

Until this spring, the Lancers didn’t have a home field. They played their games at colleges around the city for the last 15 years, so having something to call their own has been a great source of pride for Baker and the WSU players.

Worcester State University and the Worcester State Foundation contributed $540,000 toward a $2.8 million, multiyear renovation project of Rockwood Field on city-owned property adjacent to the school’s north parking lot. The field was dedicated to the late Lyons, a Worcester State Hall of Famer and lifelong supporter of the program, in April.

“Baker didn’t want it to get ruined,” Bonofiglio said, “and we had the same idea. We didn’t want it to get ruined either.”

Baker, 10 players and Worcester State board of trustees members John Brissette and George Albro saw to it that didn’t happen.

For hours that afternoon, they lifted and lugged sandbags, tires, posts, lumber, folding tables — whatever they could get their hands on — and built a series of barriers, the main barricade about 30 feet long outside the right-field fence, hoping to get the water to flow away from the field and into the abutting wetlands.

“We were trying to make a dam,” Perlak said.

Next, they found and cleared the drains around the field.

“The kids busted their tails,” Baker said. “They came down here not knowing what to expect. I think they were stunned.”

Their system seemed to work, but when Baker went home that night, soaked and exhausted, he wasn’t sure what he’d find the next morning.

“The water drained,” Baker said. “I moved all the stuff away, swept up the debris, and by Wednesday (two days later), it was as if nothing had happened.”

A small amount of water did trickle onto the edge of the right-field warning track, but it dried quickly and there was no damage.

This week, the field looked to be in outstanding condition. Play ball!

“The best thing about a team is when you have a group with a common goal, you can accomplish things,” Baker said. “I think the kids enjoyed working together and it’s pretty good when you see everybody working together for a common goal.”

HC’s Fletcher adjusting
The Holy Cross hockey team is playing really well, and senior forward Kyle Fletcher has had a major role in the Crusaders’ 7-2-1 start.

Fletcher has six goals and 12 points, both team highs.

“Coach (Paul) Pearl puts confidence in me,” Fletcher said, “and having the opportunity to play with some good linemates has helped, too. This year is going well so far and I hope it continues to go well.”

Fletcher, who hails from Kanata, Ontario, had an outstanding sophomore season, leading the team with 38 points and four game-winning goals. There were obviously huge expectations for Fletcher last season, but a hand injury caused him to miss 13 games, he wasn’t 100 percent when he did return, and he finished the year with seven goals and seven assists.

“It was frustrating to know you were able to do something,” Fletcher said, “and you just weren’t physically capable to do it because of the injury.”

During HC’s 5-4 upset of Boston University in the third game last season, Fletcher fell to the ice and his glove came off. A BU player went after the puck and stepped on Fletcher’s bare hand.

He suffered four severed tendons on the back of his left hand and underwent surgery soon after.

Fletcher worked hard to get back and, after a lot of rehab, was obviously eager to get going this season. He still has restricted range of motion which affects his shot and stick-handling, but “now I just do things a little bit differently,” Fletcher said, “and adjust to it and keep working at it.”

Fletcher had a goal and an assist in HC’s season-opening 6-2 win over AIC, and has at least one point in the Crusaders’ last four games.

He began the year on a line with seniors Erik Vos and Brandon Nunn. Nunn has missed the last three games because of a shoulder injury, but freshman Castan Sommer of Shrewsbury has stepped in admirably.

“With this year getting off to an early start, it gives me some confidence and it almost feels a little bit like sophomore year,” Fletcher said.

“When you play with confidence, luck comes along with it. I’m thankful for the way things are going so far. It’s a fun time to be a part of the team and fun time to be at the rink.”

Gerhardt, Tufts crowned
Senior midfielder Rachel Gerhardt of Worcester helped lead the Tufts field hockey team to the NCAA Division 3 championship.

Gerhardt, who starred at Bancroft School, made a key defensive save in the Jumbos’ 2-1 win over Montclair State in the final.

A captain, Gerhardt started all 21 games this season and had a goal, nine assists and a team-leading six defensive saves.

Eighth-year Tufts coach Tina McDavitt was a former assistant under Meg Galligan at Holy Cross.